About the Office of Operations

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Operations provides
national leadership for the management and operation of the surface
transportation system. The office is responsible for FHWA's efforts
in the areas of congestion management, Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS) Deployment* , traffic operations, emergency management, and freight
management and operations.

Operations Organizational
Structure

The full Office of Operations organization chart, with contact information for all employees, may be found here: Operations Office/Team Chart.

The programs shown below initiate policies and programs, training and technology transfer to advance the operational practices and capabilities of State and local transportation agencies. The programs also provide State and local transportation agencies with relevant products and services, as well as technical support and assistance.

21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

The Federal Highway Administration has identified congestion as one of its priority areas. To address this priority area, the FHWA's Office of Operations has recently begun an initiative to reduce highway congestion through better operating the highway network. This initiative builds on the thought that we can do more to operate the transportation system so that it performs better to meet customer expectations regardless of the demands placed on it. Better approaches to operations on the transportation network is a viable and effective strategy to help improve traffic flow and meet growing travel demands. As better operations becomes a strategy more fully applied to transportation, it will require rethinking of how services are delivered to those who depend on the transportation system. Effectively addressing the congestion problem will hinge on the ability to reshape traditional transportation organizations into "21st century operations agencies using 21st century technologies".

The program areas within the Office of Operations are helping to change the mindset of traditional transportation organizations by developing and implementing programs, training, and tools to support:

National recognition of the importance of operations,

Institutional and regional change to enhance operations, and

Advancements in 21st century operations.

The Operations Story (HTML,
PDF 991KB) provides further information on what the Office of Operations is doing to support 21st century operations using 21st century technologies.